Ban All Alcohol Related Photos!

[camera0bug]

Got this anti-alcohol comment from a non-member viewer under one of my photos yesterday.
http://www.pbase.com/camera0bug/image/95158266

While I'm certainly not a raving drunk, I do like the occasional glass of wine and god forbid, a glass of beer.

Anybody got any thoughts on this topic?

[nickythurgar]

Er... hope she doesnt come across my site...

I have a good selection of props! And everything in moderation, I say!

[saltire]

Damn, i think i have just seen the error of my ways.. .I'm off for a pint...!!!

[mathildaportfolio]

if she's serious, she's choosing the wrong place to launch into a tirade like this. let her
go address the issue of serving alcohol at an event with the hotel
besides, the people you photographed, all look like consenting adults to me. no one was held down and
forced to consume a glass of wine. (at least not in your documentary
if she's yanking your chain, let her yank away, there's always people who just like some attention.....

[tringhenge]

My thought is "Nutcase". I think she needs to get out and have a damned good drink and chillout

[bobfloyd]

Dan,

There will always be someone who is offended by something you have shot and frankly, if there isn't someone offended by it then maybe it wasn't worth shooting. I say you have achieved one of the goals of artists through the ages. You got this person to feel something when they viewed your photograph. I call it a success.



Now have a drink on me.

[greybeard_images]

I'll drink to that!!

[pegg928]

I agree with Bob Floyd!

[johanops]

But, without this, no paintings of Van Gogh

greetings, JOhan

http://www.pbase.com/johanops/image/84594108

[jason_daniel_anderson]

Another shining example of the beauty of the internet. There have always been fanatics out there, now they have broadband. Maybe she's had a loved one die from drinking and driving, who knows -- but she doesn't seem to personalize it at all, just moralize. Well, let her join PBase and post photos without alcohol, not sure what else to do for her.

[camera0bug]

She also followed up with an e-mail to me at home (see below).
I responded by inviting her to join me for a drink when she's in town.


_______________________________________

Hi, I saw the pictures of the Pattie Boyd photo exhibit, and saw that there was a picture of two women drinking booze. It looked like they were holding champagne or wine glasses. Did they really serve booze at this event? If so, that is terrible! And I really wish there were not pictures of this posted on the World Wide Web for all to see. It sets a terrible example. I wonder why they thought they had to serve a mind-altering drug. It's sad that these ladies thought they had to consume his chemical to relax and have a good time. I suppose they think it is all elegant and sophisticated to drink champagne, or that they have to use this drug to be social. Ugh.

I hope you do not drink. I will send you a blog entry I wrote about why alcohol is unhealthy and unwholesome. I hope you read it and agree with it.

Anyway, it just really upset me to see that photo of the women drinking booze. I would never want to attend an event like that, where alcohol was served. I would be fuming.

Thank you and take care,
Cindy
My homepage: http://www.geocities.com/cindybin46

JUST SAY NO

How many times have you heard that phrase? You know the one: “Just say no—to drugs.” Most people think of an innocent school child being approached by some street thug trying to lure them into trying marijuana. But do you realize that alcohol also is a drug? It’s true! Ask any doctor. Alcohol is the most commonly used and widely abused psychoactive drug in the world. And a highly addictive one at that. It poisons cells, has been linked to cancer and birth defects. Studies show that alcohol damages our brains and can cause heart and liver damage, and that alcoholism is under-diagnosed in both women and men. It just isn’t good to ingest this toxic chemical, not even in moderation. That’s like saying poison is okay in moderation, or that smoking a joint is okay in moderation.

Yet alcohol is promoted and glorified everywhere you turn. Cooking shows tell you which wines to pair with various foods. Travel shows admonish you to “live the good life” and sample the beer in Germany, the wine in Italy, visit the English pubs and booze it up with the locals. Restaurant review shows rave about the wide selection of wines or the great mixed drinks at dining establishments. There are magazines and websites devoted to alcohol. Newspapers and websites such as Yahoo even have such things as “wine writers” whose job it is to drink, promote, recommend and rave about booze.

No wonder so many people drink. I myself experimented with alcohol in my college days in the 70’s, to be bad and cool and as a bad way of dealing with some problems. I even got tipsy once or twice (hic!). But I didn’t keep it up. By the time I was 20 or so, I just lost my desire to alter my mind with this liquid that I did not find appealing at all. Wine, beer, mixed drinks, they all tasted horrible to me. I much preferred milk or plain old water. The last bit of alcohol I had was a sip of champagne at my wedding in 1979, which I took just to be polite. Even then, I remember scrunching up my nose to show my displeasure. And then a year and a half later I joined a church in which alcohol is against our religion. The LDS Church has The Word of Wisdom, which we believe to be direct revelation from God saying that alcohol is not for the body. So I don’t drink now for that reason, but again, I had stopped all alcohol consumption before I even knew anything about this church, before I had any religious beliefs.

When I see people drinking, it saddens and upsets me. It’s not that I think they are bad or that I am “better” than them, but I just have a very hard time understanding why they want to consume alcohol—to spend their hard-earned money on an expensive, psychoactive drug. The only thing I can think of is that most people do not view alcohol as a drug. They think that because it is legal, it must be okay. And no wonder, with all the ways alcohol is promoted and glorified in our society. But I really do think that many people drink to fit in, to be social, to be cool. Men, especially, think they have to drink beer to be one of the guys (“Let’s go have a couple of beers and watch the big game!”) And women drink wine because they think it is elegant, sophisticated and romantic (“I love to savor fine wine with my meal.”). People think celebrating means opening a bottle of champagne and “raising a toast.” At least that is the strong impression I get from what I have observed.

I always say, “We can hardly chastise our youth for underage drinking, when grown adults make alcohol look so fun, glamorous, cool, romantic, and sophisticated.” Grown adults should be past the age where they want to use a mind-altering drug. Most of these same adults would never smoke pot. They tell their kids, “Stay away from drugs!” But these grownups don’t realize that when they consume alcohol, they are trying to achieve the same effect as the pot-smokers, to get that “buzz”, to relax and unwind, or WHATEVER it is one gets from this chemical. Or they do it to fit in and be social, because they think “that’s what grownups do.” And of course many even become addicted.

It shouldn’t be this way. We should not be afraid to take a stand, to set an example. A friend of mine recently told me of how he was sharing a beer with his uncle in college. His uncle said, “You know, I don’t really like beer.” My friend said, “Neither do I!” He remembers this as being a turning point in his life, essentially giving him PERMISSION to not feel he had to drink beer or other alcohol to fit in and have a good time. Isn’t that inspiring? I wish more people were like that. I think of Paris Hilton and all the brouhaha she has been through what with having to serve jail time for an alcohol-related offense. How much easier would her life be if she did not drink at all? That’s one of the benefits of having religious beliefs where you know that alcohol is wrong because it is a mind-altering drug, and you have no desire to consume it anyway. This also reminds me of a bridal site I visited recently, where all these young ladies were posting questions about what alcohol to serve at the reception and how much of it, how to keep costs down, and one bride-to-be had concerns about certain guests consuming too much and causing a ruckus at the reception, etc. Again, how much easier would their wedding planning be if they did not drink, if they had the religious convictions of LDS young people where alcohol does not even come into play during a wedding reception, or any part of their lives, for that matter. And really, one need not be religious to stay away from booze; my husband is not LDS nor is he particularly religious, and he does not drink. (Yet I know Christians who drink, so go figure. That I don’t understand at all.)

My point is that we all have a choice. We can choose to drink or not. We can choose whether we want to consume a toxic, mind-altering chemical. Just because alcohol is legal doesn’t make it right. But I think far too many people don’t realize this. They think they HAVE to drink, that it is expected of them in order to socialize, to fit in, to throw a good wedding reception, to celebrate, to be romantic, to be one of the guys. Just remember, though: alcohol is an addictive, psychoactive drug, and does bad things to your body and brain. Just because OTHER people consume this stuff does not mean YOU have to. You CAN say no. Cindybin gives you permission.

[ilove2dive]

I got so excit d when I re d this th t I spil led my beer all ov r my ke bo ard! No w my keys don t wor k righ t. Ano th r sign of evil boo ze...

[rileypm]

Heard tell once that the English word "whiskey" was derived from a Gaelic word meaning "water of life." Now who can be opposed to that, I wonder?

[mathildaportfolio]

LOL @ all of you!
seems cindy is a lowcarb, atkins diet enthsiast, maybe she will oppose pictures of carb-laden chocolate cakes,
delicious breads, and all the other good stuff that makes life worthwhile, next
i am definitely going to do my bit for this cause, and will bake a strawberry-cream shortcake tomorrow to celebrate
the fact that we can choose whether we want to have a drink or not

[itallica]

I think "Alcohol" should be this Thursdays challenge... well, maybe Friday would be more appropriate!

The "pros" could post photos of people comsuming alcohol, or perhaps filling their gas tanks with it... the 'cons' could delve into the dark side of alcoholism and show everyone the evils.

Sounds like a party to me! Free sodas all night for the designated drivers!!!